Something In My Heart
by Joseph Haney
Summary: 1950's America/Korean War AU - Simon Tam is a doctor on his way to Hawaii, having recieved his draft orders to go Korea to join the American military. On the plane, he meets Kaylee who is travelling to Hawaii to visit her sister. The two immediately become friends...but will it stop there?


Before we go any further, this story was inspired by this prompt: post/96569940755/person-a-in-your-otp-is-a-soldier-going-off-to-war. If you like this, feel free to check out their main blog and see if any of those ideas inspire your muse.

* * *

Simon Tam hoisted his duffel bag into the overhead luggage rack and slid into the window seat with a sigh. He was not looking forward to what was on the end of this flight. The idea of being in a war sounded so glamorous when his uncle told him stories of fighting Nazis in France…or at least the stories were glamorous. Simon had always been warned by his parents to take everything Uncle Gregor said with a grain of salt. Still, he was the only one in the family who had been a soldier, so he was the only one Simon could talk to when he got his draft notice in the mail.

He was stirred from his thoughts by a loud thud in the aisle. Looking, he saw a young woman attempting to maneuver her large suitcase into the luggage rack above him, despite the fact that it seemed to have been over packed. He watched her try again, only to again have it get the better of her. "Ma'am, do you need some help?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, please," the woman gasped, giving him a grateful smile. Simon nodded and stepped out into the aisle, lifting one end of the suitcase—and resisting the urge to comment on how heavy it was. Between the two of them they managed to maneuver the suitcase onto the rack, but it took a couple of minutes.

Once the suitcase was secure, the woman turned to Simon. "Thank you so much," she said.

Simon nodded. "You're welcome," he said as he slid back into his seat. She quickly sat down next to him, extending her hand. "I'm Kaylee, by the way. Kaylee Frye."

Simon shook her hand with a small smile. "Simon Tam."

"Well, Simon, it's nice to meet you. I'm just lucky you happened to be sitting here. Some people wouldn't have helped me with that beast." She gestured up toward the luggage rack.

Simon chuckled. "I don't know, I'm sure someone would have."

"Maybe," Kaylee said with a small sigh. She was quiet until the plane was in the air. "So…why are you going to Hawaii?"

Simon was quiet as he considered his answer. "I'm…I'm going to Pearl Harbor. I'll be shipping out in about a week."

Kaylee frowned. "Korea?"

Simon nodded. "That's my final destination, yes."

"Oh. Wow…I…I'm sorry."

Simon shook his head. "Don't be," he said. "It's not your fault. Besides, I'll probably be okay. I won't be right at the front lines. I'm a doctor, so they'll probably stick me at a field hospital or aid station."

"But still," Kaylee said. "I hear it's pretty bad over there."

"Well it is a war…excuse me, police action. It's not going to be pretty. But I don't really have a choice. My notice came in about two months ago, I reported in for basic training…and now I'm off to Korea." He was about to keep going with this thought, when he happened to glance over at her. It was clear this was upsetting Kaylee, so he sighed. "Look, let's not talk politics. I'm going to be getting enough of that during my tour of duty. Why are you going to Hawaii?"

"Oh, I'm visiting my sister. She's a school teacher in Honolulu. Math."

Simon nodded. "Math's a good subject. Important. I always preferred science, but I understand the value of math."

"Me too. Preferred science, I mean. I like learning how the world works. And it makes sense that you'd like science, being a doctor and all."

"I suppose," Simon said with a small chuckle. "So do you just have the one sister?"

Kaylee nodded. "I'm the oldest."

"So am I. I have a younger sister. River."

"That's a…unique name."

"It is that," Simon said. "My mother says that, when she was in labor, she kept seeing flashes of a river, like in a vision. So that's where the name comes from."

"Well I'm not one to judge on unique names. You don't meet too many people named Kaylee."

"Then I'm honored to meet such a rare breed," Simon said with a small smile, causing Kaylee to blush. "So your sister's a teacher. What is it you do for a living?"

"I'm a mechanic," Kaylee said, looking at him with clear anticipation.

"Seriously?"

Kaylee grinned and nodded. "I am. I work with my dad in the shop. He says I got natural talent. And I always liked making broke things work again."

"Well you really are an unusual character," Simon said. "You don't meet too many female mechanics, either."

"No, and lots of guys think I'm joking when I tell them. It kind of bothered me at first, but now I don't care. The fact that they don't believe I can just makes it that much better when I prove them wrong."

Simon nodded. "I understand that. My sister likes telling me when I'm wrong. She's smart. Smarter than me, even. 'Gifted' is the term her teachers used. She can be a real brat about it sometimes, too." He chuckled. "I remember one time…" and he launched into a story about his sister that left Kaylee in stitches—and reminded her of something her sister did. That's how the rest of the plane ride went, with them sharing stories about each other and their families. They were having so much fun that they didn't realize how much time had passed until the captain announced that they were on their final approach into Hawaii.

"Oh my," Simon said, checking his watch. "I guess time really does fly when you're having fun."

"I guess so," Kaylee said. She was quiet for a moment, and then looked at him. "When do you have to report in?"

"Not until tomorrow, but I don't know anyone in town, so I was going to head down there this afternoon."

Kaylee smiled. "Well, now you know someone in town."

"Oh, no, I…I don't want to impose. Besides, don't you have plans with your sister?"

"Plans can be changed," Kaylee said. "Besides I have almost two weeks to see my sister. You only have one day. No, not even a day, an afternoon and evening. And then you're off to war. You need one last night as a civilian." She gave him a smile. "And wouldn't you rather spend it with me than with a bunch of draftees?"

Simon opened his mouth to protest, but then he thought about it. "Alright," he said with a small smile. "Let's do it."

Kaylee grinned. "First things first: We go for a second round with the beast."

Simon nodded. "I can't wait," he said, glancing up at the luggage rack.

* * *

The next morning, Simon was the first one awake. He blinked as he looked around the hotel room, taking a moment to remember where he was, but seeing a sleeping Kaylee lying next to him brought the events of last night back—and a smile to his face.

He leaned over and gently kissed her cheek. With a soft moan, she stretched and slowly opened her eyes. "Morning," she said softly, smiling up at him.

"Morning," Simon said. "How'd you sleep?"

"Very well," she said as she propped herself up on her elbow. "You?"

"Same."

"What time do you have to report in?" she asked stifling a yawn.

Simon reached over to the nightstand and picked up his watch. "About an hour and a half."

"So we have a little more time together," she said, giving him a quick kiss. "Buy me breakfast? I saw a diner down the street."

Simon nodded. "Of course." They got dressed and went there. After talking for a minute and ordering, Kaylee took a deep breath and looked to Simon. "So…I have a question that I'm pretty sure I know the answer to. Do you have anyone that you're planning on writing to? Besides your family I mean."

"You mean like a girlfriend? No…No there's no one."

Kaylee nodded. "I didn't think so." She reached into her purse and pulled out a pen and piece of paper. She wrote something on it and slid it across the table to him. "You can write me. I…well I don't know what we've got or how far it could go, but…well, I think everyone should have a friend back home."

Simon picked it up, reading the address she'd written down. He took a deep breath and nodded, giving her a small smile. "Thank you," he said. "For this and last night. "

Kaylee smiled. "I told you it would be memorable."

"It was that." He stopped as their food came. They made small talk over the meal, and then walked out of the diner together, stopping to hail a cab.

"So…this is goodbye," Kaylee said as the cab pulled to the curb.

"For now," Simon said with a small nod. "But I have a funny feeling we'll see each other again."

"Do you believe in that? In feelings and fate and things like that?"

Simon paused and leaned in to give her a gentle kiss. "I'm starting to," he said quietly. He gave her a small smile and got into the cab, looking out the window and watching her as he drove away. He didn't look away until she was out of sight.

* * *

Simon stepped off of the plane in Honolulu, taking a deep breath of the air. It was the first time in over a year and a half that he'd been in the United States. His 21 month deployment had been cut short by the end of the war and he was happy to finally be heading home. But he had an important stop to make first. About six months into his deployment, Kaylee had mentioned that she was going to stay with her sister for a while, but she wouldn't say why. He wrote her at that address, but her letters became sporadic and he sensed there was something she wasn't telling him.

He took a deep breath and hailed a cab, giving the driver the address he'd long since memorized, the one he'd been sending letters to for over a year. When he got there, he took a deep breath before walking up to the front door and knocking.

A woman in her mid-to-late twenties answered the door, starting a little at the sight of a man in a class-A uniform. Immediately, Simon knew he had the right address. The woman looked like Kaylee. This was clearly her sister. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"I hope so, ma'am," Simon said, removing his hat. "My name is Simon Tam. I'm…a friend of Kaylee's. Is she here?"

The woman relaxed a little at the sound of his name. "I was wondering if you were ever coming," she said. "Come in."

Simon nodded and stepped inside. The woman closed the door. "She's out back. Follow me." She led him to the living room before gesturing for him to wait. She left and he heard her opening the back door, calling out of it, "Kaylee, there's someone here to see you. Why don't you bring Malcolm inside?"

Simon swallowed hard. He'd imagined this moment many times over the last few months, but now that it was actually happening, he suddenly realized that he didn't know what to do with his hands. He kept rotating his hat nervously as he paced the room. He kept trying to focus on anything, but seemed unable to.

Fortunately he didn't have to wait long, as a small gasp from the doorway drew his attention. He turned and there she was, looking as beautiful as he remembered her, standing on the sidewalk outside of that diner. He smiled, relaxing. He opened his mouth to speak, but was unable to get any words out before she was in his arms, kissing him. He closed his eyes and kissed her back.

After what seemed like a blissful eternity, they pulled apart. "I…I can't believe you're here," she said. "I'm holding you and I can't believe you're here."

"I know," Simon said. "But how could I stay away? I've hardly thought about anything else since I last saw you."

Kaylee looked him in the eye, blinking back tears. "Neither have I. And I still can't believe it." She let out a laugh. "I feel…I'm not even sure what I feel. I was so worried that I might never see you again, that you might get killed, or forget about me, or…I don't know what. But you're here and I feel like I could fly to the moon and back."

Simon let out a laugh and kissed her again. She returned the kiss, and then led him to the sofa, where they sat and talked for an hour before they were interrupted by an infant boy crawling into the room, followed by Kaylee's sister. "I'm sorry," she said. "He got away from me. He's getting fast."

"It's okay, Lauren," Kaylee said, picking the boy up and putting him on her lap. "Why don't you get us some drinks? I think we're going to need them." Lauren nodded and walked away.

"So who's this?" Simon asked.

"This is Malcolm," Kaylee said. She took a deep breath before adding, "He's my son."

Simon looked up at her. "Your…oh…" He swallowed hard, unsure of what to say.

Kaylee nodded. "He's the reason I moved out here. He…well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised. But I don't regret a moment of it. My parents were less than thrilled, though, as you can well imagine."

Simon nodded, his head spinning. "So…where's his father?"

Kaylee took a deep breath. "Right here." She looked at him to see his reaction. "He's your son, Simon."

Simon stared. "He's…my…"

Kaylee nodded. "He's your son," she said again. "I'm sorry to spring it on you like this, but I couldn't think of an easy way to tell you. Somehow, writing something like this in a letter seemed so…informal." She took a deep breath. "I know it's a lot to take in, and so I'm not expecting any sort of commitment right now. I just…I just wanted you to know."

Simon nodded, more out of reflex than agreement. He stood and began pacing the room while Kaylee watched him anxiously. He turned and looked at Kaylee. "This is…I don't think 'overwhelming' is quite accurate enough to fit this."

"I know," Kaylee said. "And if you need some time to think about it, I completely understand."

Simon was quiet for a moment, and then shook his head. "No, I don't need any time." He turned and sat back down next to her. "I mean, this is a little sooner than I had planned it, but…the one thing that kept me sane while I was over there was the hope that I would get to come back and find you and we…I don't know, maybe I read too many fairy tales as a kid, but I believe in love at first sight." He reached over and took her hand. "And this doesn't change that. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Kaylee smiled and gave his hand a squeeze. "I was hoping you'd say that, because I feel the same way. Now, we don't have to get married right away, because there's a lot of details that need to be worked out…but we can work them out together."

Simon nodded. "Together." He leaned in and gave her a kiss as Lauren returned with a small tray carrying three glasses. "Just in time for the toast, I take it," she said with a grin. "Good thing I made myself one too."

"So it is," Simon said, squeezing Kaylee's hand again. "A very good thing." He picked up a glass and raised it. "To our future, whatever it may bring," he said, looking at Kaylee with a small smile. She returned it and lightly tapped her glass against his.

"Our future," she said. "I like the sound of that."


End file.
